Survival of ovarian cancer patients in Denmark: excess mortality risk analysis of five-year relative survival in the period 1978-2002.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the variation in ovarian cancer survival in Denmark in the period 1978-2002 in relation to time since diagnosis, age at diagnosis, period of diagnosis, stage and histology.


METHODS
Register-based cohort study.


METHODS
Denmark in the period 1978-2002.


METHODS
Using the nationwide Danish Cancer Registry, we included a total of 13,035 women diagnosed with invasive ovarian cancer in Denmark in the period 1978-2002.


METHODS
Excess mortality risk analyses of five-year relative survival of ovarian cancer patients diagnosed in the period 1978-2002 with follow-up through 2006 were made based on data from the NORDCAN database.


METHODS
Five-year relative survival, excess mortality rate (ER) and relative excess mortality risk (RER) after an ovarian cancer diagnosis.


RESULTS
The relative survival of Danish ovarian cancer patients slightly increased in the period 1978-2002. The ERs were highest in the first year following diagnosis, in particular in the first three months, and among older patients, even for localized and regional tumors. The pattern remained the same when stratified by histological subgroup. Older age at diagnosis, earlier period of diagnosis, more advanced stage at diagnosis and being diagnosed with undifferentiated carcinoma predicted poorer survival among Danish ovarian cancer patients diagnosed in the period 1978-2002.


CONCLUSIONS
The survival of Danish ovarian cancer patients has slightly increased from 1978 through 2002. Despite this, the mortality rate of ovarian cancer in Denmark is still higher than in the other Nordic countries. Explanations for these differences are still to be identified.
Hannibal
Charlotte Gerd
CG
Department of Viruses, Hormones and Cancer, Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Cortes
Rikke
R
Engholm
Gerda
G
Kjaer
Susanne Krüger
SK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D055815:Young Adult